1. Artur Boruc joined Ekstraklasa team Legia Warsaw in 1999 and, whilst still a reserve, had a spell on loan at Dolcan Zabki in 2000.
49 Facts About Artur Boruc
1. 2.
Artur Boruc broke through to the Legia first team in 2002 and by 2003 had become the club's first choice goalkeeper.
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Artur Boruc moved to Italy in 2010 to join Fiorentina, spending two years at the Serie A club before returning to Britain in 2012 to sign for Premier League side Southampton, moving to Bournemouth in 2015 after a season on loan.
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Artur Boruc made his international debut against the Republic of Ireland in April 2004 and became a regular in the Polish international squad, earning 65 caps.
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Artur Boruc represented the nation at the 2006 FIFA World Cup, UEFA Euro 2008 and Euro 2016.
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The next season Artur Boruc joined Legia Warsaw, initially playing for the reserve team, as well as being loaned out in 2000 for half a season to Dolcan Zabki.
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Legia lost only 1 of these 11 matches and Artur Boruc kept 5 clean sheets, although Legia only managed to finish fourth.
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Artur Boruc made his first appearance for Poland in April 2004, playing in a scoreless draw against the Republic of Ireland.
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On 20 July 2005, Artur Boruc signed with Scottish club Celtic.
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The move was later made permanent, with Artur Boruc penning a three-and-a-half-year contract on 17 October until 2009.
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On 5 January 2008, it was reported that Artur Boruc had signed a new contract with Celtic set to keep him at the club until 2011.
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Artur Boruc made his debut for Celtic on 2 August 2005 when he replaced David Marshall for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifier tie against Slovakian side Artmedia Bratislava.
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Artur Boruc quickly established himself as first-choice keeper at Celtic, displaying a combination of outstanding shot-stopping, immense self-belief and, at times, outright arrogance.
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Artur Boruc continued his fine form for Celtic the following season.
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On 21 November 2006, in a UEFA Champions League match against Manchester United at Celtic Park, Artur Boruc helped Celtic through to the knockout stage of the competition by saving Louis Saha's 89th-minute penalty.
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Indeed, Artur Boruc succeeded in keeping a clean sheet in each of Celtic's three home Champions League group stages games.
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Artur Boruc was named player of the month for December 2006 in the Scottish Premier League, a very uncommon event for a goalkeeper.
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Artur Boruc's form was recognised with a nomination for the Scottish PFA Players' Player of the Year award for 2007.
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The tie ended in a penalty shootout, with Artur Boruc saving twice to ensure Celtic's passage to the group stages.
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Artur Boruc made his Fiorentina debut on 26 October 2010 in the Coppa Italia against Empoli.
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Artur Boruc went on to play in the next 25 Serie A fixtures, before Frey regained his place in the team for the final two league games of the season.
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On 18 August 2011, Artur Boruc officially claimed Fiorentina's number one jersey after Frey's move to Genoa.
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On 22 September 2012, Artur Boruc joined Premier League club Southampton on a one-year deal.
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The incident resulted in Artur Boruc being dropped from the side.
25.
On 9 March 2013 in a league match against Norwich City at Carrow Road, Artur Boruc saved a penalty in the 90th minute from Grant Holt.
26.
On 18 April 2013 this wish was realised when Artur Boruc signed a new 2-year contract for the club.
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Artur Boruc's form remained reasonably consistent, although his distribution was occasionally poor, and he helped Southampton to an eighth-place finish in the league at the end of the season.
28.
On 19 September 2014, Artur Boruc joined Championship side AFC Bournemouth on an emergency loan deal until January 2015.
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The loan spell at Bournemouth went well, and by the end of December 2014, Artur Boruc had kept clean sheets in nine of his 18 appearances, helping the club go top of the Championship.
30.
On 2 May 2015, Artur Boruc was part of the Bournemouth team which won the Championship title and a first-ever promotion to the Premier League.
31.
On 1 August 2020, Artur Boruc returned to Poland to sign for Legia Warsaw, on a one-year deal.
32.
On 17 June 2022, Artur Boruc announced his retirement aged 42, and will have a testimonial-style match between Legia Warsaw and Celtic.
33.
On 28 April 2004, Artur Boruc debuted for the Polish senior squad in a goalless friendly draw against the Republic of Ireland, coming on as second-half substitute for Jerzy Dudek.
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On 17 August 2005, Artur Boruc received a red card in the final match Valeri Lobanovsky Memorial Tournament 2005, but this did not prevent his team from winning, and he won the first trophy with the national team.
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Artur Boruc soon established himself as a regular in the Polish squad and was selected to the 23-men national squad for the 2006 FIFA World Cup finals held in Germany.
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Artur Boruc remained first choice goalkeeper and was named in Poland's UEFA Euro 2008 squad.
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Artur Boruc played their first game against Germany and held his place through to the important second game against co-hosts Austria in which the Poles conceded a penalty in the 92nd minute to level the game.
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Artur Boruc was nicknamed "Spaceman" by the Austrian and German press during the tournament.
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Artur Boruc incurred the wrath of manager Leo Beenhakker in August 2008 when he and two teammates went on a night out after a friendly match against Ukraine in defiance of the orders of their manager.
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However, Artur Boruc quickly regained his place in the team and continued to be the regular choice until falling from favour again in October 2010 under Beenhakker's successor as Poland manager, Franciszek Smuda.
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Artur Boruc maintained his place in the international side for their next two competitive games on 22 and 26 March 2013, World Cup qualifiers against Ukraine and San Marino respectively.
42.
In March 2017, Artur Boruc announced his retirement from international football through his Instagram profile, citing his age, "peace of mind" regarding the position of a Polish goalkeeper, and focusing on his career in Bournemouth.
43.
Artur Boruc was at the centre of many controversies during his Celtic tenure.
44.
On 25 August 2006, Artur Boruc was cautioned by the Strathclyde Police for a breach of the peace for making gestures in front of Rangers fans before a game earlier that year.
45.
On 17 December 2006, Artur Boruc again crossed himself during his first Old Firm game since the caution, drawing "a roar" from the Rangers fans behind his goal.
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Artur Boruc courted further controversy in April 2008 when he displayed a T-shirt saying "God bless the Pope" and bearing a picture of Pope John Paul II after a game against Rangers, and in May 2007 when he waved a flag proclaiming Celtic the "champions" following a match against Rangers.
47.
Artur Boruc's father died in April 2010; his mother Jadwiga died when he was only 20.
48.
In September 2009, The Scottish Sun published an apology, for claiming Artur Boruc had had an affair with a young woman, shown in a photograph, who was actually his sister.
49.
Artur Boruc's cousin Max Boruc is a professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper, and in 2023 joined Hibernian FC of the Scottish Premier League.